For about 6 months now, I’ve been encouraging my clients to include video testimonials on their blogs/web sites, not only because it’s a powerful marketing tool, but also because of the "wow" factor. After all, while streaming video is nothing new, the You Tube revolution has made adding video to any blog or web site as easy as adding a link!
Now, marketing genius Ken McCarty is advising his readers to look into Video Testimonials:
About 80% of consumers put more faith in advertisers who present customer reviews than those that don’t. Over thee out of four customers say it is extremely or very important to read customer reviews before making a purchase.
And not just any old reviews. They want customer reviews and prefer them 6 to 1 over "expert" reviews. 44% of online shoppers say that consumer ratings and reviews are the most useful e-commerce feature. No other eCommerce shopping feature came even close.
I’ve talked often with my clients about the power of testimonials. I’ve even included a lot of testimonial gathering tactics in my book Beyond the Niche. However, when it comes to a selling tool that carries the POWER of a testimonial, well… it shouldn’t surprise ANYONE that some people will actually create FRAUDULENT testimonials and place them on a web site. As a matter of fact, testimonials are so powerful, (and their power is definitely "decreased" by fraudulen tuse) that there’s even a company that offers the service of AUTHENTICATING your written testimonials on your web site.
Which is why I encourage MY clients to feature VIDEO testimonials on their blog/web site. Video testimonials are much tougher to "fake" than written testimonials. Simeon Pollock’s Wholistic Blog features a collection of video testimonials. Take a look at them and ask yourself, isn’t this more powerful than words appearing on a page?
